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HHHeeerrriiitttaaagggeee &&& SSSuuussstttaaaiiinnnaaabbbiiillliiitttyyy AAA DDDiiissscccuuussssssiiiooonnn PPPaaapppeeerrr \ January 2004 Please return comment to the Heritage Office by: 27 February

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Invitation for Public Comment On Monday 12 January 2004 the Heritage Council of NSW released Heritage and Sustainability: A Discussion Paper for public comment. The discussion paper aims to initiate discussion amongst heritage and sustainability practitioners about the role of heritage in achieving the goals of sustainability. This discussion paper was written by Victoria Coleman for the NSW Heritage Office and Heritage Council of NSW. Copies are available from the Heritage Office website: www.heritage.nsw.gov.au or from the NSW Heritage Office, Locked Bag 5020, Parramatta NSW 2124. Public Comment You are invited to make a submission on the discussion paper. Submissions will be used to assist in developing the Heritage Council policy on heritage and sustainability. Submissions close on Friday 27 February 2004. Following this consultation process and consideration of the issues raised, the Heritage Council will consider the findings and issue a draft policy in Mid 2004. Please note that for the purposes of the NSW Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act, any submissions on this paper, including your personal details, will be a matter of public record and will be stored in the Heritage Office records system. Alternatively, you can indicate on your submission that you wish your personal details to remain confidential to the Heritage Office and not available for public access. For further information contact:

Susan Macdonald 02 9873 8553 Susan.macdonald@heritage.nsw.gov.au

To make a submission:

By Post By email By phone:

Heritage and Sustainability

NSW Heritage Office

Locked Bag 5020

Parramatta NSW 2124

Subject:

Heritage and Sustainability

susan.macdonald@heritage.nsw.gov.au

Susan Macdonald

02 9873 8553

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Abstract Heritage and sustainability are strongly interrelated and interdependent. The Heritage Council of NSW and the Heritage Office are currently seeking to engage in partnerships with other government agencies, industry and the community to develop discussion on this topic. This discussion paper opens the debate to a broad audience and a new way of thinking. The Heritage Council of NSW and the NSW Heritage Office are concerned that heritage is forgotten as a key state environmental concern and key to sustainability, despite its potential to improve our quality of life, by improving our understanding of the past and of ourselves, and contributing strongly to our culture. The Heritage Council of NSW and the Heritage Office endeavour to move towards sustainability by developing a policy and strategy on the topic. They invite stakeholders to also consider their contribution to heritage and sustainability in their practices.

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Introduction The Heritage Council of NSW has resolved to develop a policy on heritage and sustainability. This paper is the first step in developing this policy and strategy implementation. The aim of this paper is to raise awareness and introduce heritage practitioners to the key factors linking heritage and sustainability. Heritage and sustainability have had a shared history and philosophy. This paper will argue that sustainability can serve as a tool to achieving heritage conservation, and at the same time heritage conservation can serve as a tool for achieving sustainability. The Heritage Council and Heritage Office are currently developing strategic projects that will contribute to the goals of sustainable development, including policy development of wind farms and cultural landscapes. Potential projects also exist, which could contribute towards sustainable development. This includes for example, state of our heritage reporting and environmentally and economically sustainable adaptive reuse of heritage assets.

1.0 Heritage and sustainable development project In 1999, the Heritage Council of NSW resolved to develop a policy on sustainability and heritage that would explore the impact of heritage conservation on sustainability and Heritage Council operations. In 2001 the Heritage Office released a draft policy titled Sustainability and Heritage. The draft policy aimed to recognise heritage as being integral to state government agency sustainability programs. Following the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, the Heritage Council has revised its priorities and renewed its commitment to the policy process.

1.1 Aim of the proposed project The Heritage and Sustainability project will engage the Heritage Council, the Heritage Office and stakeholders in a process that improves understanding of the integral relationship between heritage and sustainable development, and to encourage changes in heritage practices that meet sustainability criteria. The project will engage stakeholders through participatory methods; a process that is itself fundamental to achieving the goals of sustainable development.

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1.2 Outcomes & impacts from the project Project Stage Outcomes

1. Statement / discussion paper

The statement will initiate discussion in the professional heritage community about the inter-relationship of sustainable development and heritage conservation

2. Policy The policy will reflect both the statutory obligations of the Heritage Council and also stakeholder needs and expectations

3. Strategy The strategy will propose a set of steps to be taken by the Heritage Council, the Heritage Office and other stakeholder partners in achieving the integration of heritage conservation with sustainable development. The strategy will include a number of prioritised sub projects and tasks related to the topic.

The project will promote and clarify the fundamental role of heritage conservation in sustainable development, particularly in the professional heritage community and government agencies. This will confirm the Heritage Council and Heritage Office as bodies with key responsibilities in achieving sustainable development in New South Wales. The policy and strategy will assist the Heritage Office to strengthen its capacity to work with other government agencies, industry, community organisations and stakeholders by recognizing the fundamental relationship between heritage and sustainable development.

2.0 Purpose of this paper This paper aims to initiate discussion among key stakeholders about the relationship between heritage and sustainable development. By offering a founding block, the Heritage Office hope to liven the debate and discussion brought forward when considering the policy on heritage and sustainable development. Not only will this paper raise awareness about the relationship of heritage to sustainable development, but it will also educate many practitioners about the fundamentals of sustainable development – a phrase that is both over used and misused. It will also expose the often forgotten role of cultural and social aspects of sustainable development.

2.1 Role of the Heritage Office and Heritage Council of NSW The Heritage Act 1977 aims to “conserve the environmental heritage of the State” by protecting the cultural and natural significance of heritage items in NSW – as such heritage is considered an environmental issue of state significance. The Heritage Council of NSW administers this Act, and is the principal NSW statutory authority on cultural heritage matters. It is also a consent authority

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and statutory consultee on environmental heritage issues and assessment processes under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 and in relation to issues defined in the Local Government Act 1993, the Strata Schemes (Freehold Development) Act 1973 and the Strata Schemes (Leasehold Development) Act 1986. The Heritage Office is the government agency supporting the Heritage Council of NSW. The mission of the Heritage Office and Heritage Council of NSW is helping the community to conserve our heritage. The statutory role of the Heritage Council provides the strength to impose regulations for the management of heritage items. Important also is the recognition and promulgation of these important heritage items, and the values attributed to each within the community.

3.0 A brief history of heritage protection across NSW To understand heritage in NSW, one must first understand international thinking behind heritage conservation. The protection of built heritage first occurred in the 1930, and focused on both the macro planning of heritage areas and of individual structures. Twenty years later it was decided that ‘lists’ were appropriate for identifying and preserving these important structures. The ‘lists’ identified important heritage items, but typically did not demonstrate why they were important, or why they should be protected. It was not until the 1980s that the focus moved again towards the place and not only the individual structure. Furthermore, practitioners spoke of ‘conservation’ rather than ‘preservation’, meaning the heritage place was invited to continue to change, while the heritage values in that place were preserved. Heritage conservation gained precedence in Australia in the 1970s, with the introduction of heritage legislation in most states and federally. In NSW the Heritage Act 1977 mandated that ‘heritage items’ receive a Permanent Conservation Order. The PCO was often implemented without assessment of the heritage value of the asset. The Order enabled the Minister to stop development on potential heritage items. Around this time local environment plans were also required to identify heritage items. In 1999 amendments to the Heritage Act established the State Heritage Register, which included criteria for listing, meaning that heritage assets were assessed for ‘state heritage significance’ prior to listing. It was a step away from reactive management and towards the proactive management of the State’s heritage. This amendment also resulted in an important legislative shift for heritage conservation. The long-held community and professional view that places have heritage values beyond architectural significance was recognised. The new legislation validated the expanding field of heritage conservation to include an increasingly diverse range of disciplines and understandings. This improved community understanding and recognition of heritage and their potential contribution to our understanding of our self, our culture and our values. For more information see Annexure A.

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4.0 Sustainable development The term sustainable development first emerged internationally in 1972 at the United Nations Conference on Human Environment in Stockholm. In 1987 the UN-sponsored Brundtland Commission released Our Common Future, a report that summarized widespread concerns about poverty and the environment in many parts of the world. The report popularized the term sustainable development, which it defined as ‘development that meets present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.’ In essence, sustainable development requires decision making that recognizes the connection between human actions and their effects on the environment, economy and society. Participatory decision making in political processes is seen as the key to sustainability. Current thinking about sustainability refers to the three pillars of politics/power, participation and partnerships. This has resulted from an important paradigm shift from thinking about symptoms, and linear social and planetary processes, to thinking about problems that are bound by personal and cultural values both past and present, and thinking about non-linear processes, which blur cause and effect boundaries. Society’s power and political decision making structures control management of the environment, the economy and cultural resources. To achieve equity and quality of life, sustainable development requires participation and reflection in decision-making processes by the individuals and organizations that are most affected. Participation has the potential to build individual’s capacity for the re-distribution of inequitable power structures. The 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio De Janeiro brought together leaders of 179 national governments and developed the momentum for sustainable development. Agenda 21 (UNCED 1992), the key document emerging from the conference, has been a critical factor in guiding governments, businesses, communities and non-government organizations towards sustainable development. It addresses the key concerns of sustainability in its 40 chapters. In 1992 the Federal Government released the National Strategy on Ecologically Sustainable Development (Commonwealth of Australia 1992). In it, they defined ecologically sustainable development as:

'using, conserving and enhancing the community's resources so that ecological processes, on which life depends, are maintained, and the total quality of life, now and in the future, can be increased'.

Unlike most international definitions for sustainable development, the Australian Federal Government has chosen to focus sustainable development on ecological processes and the environment, determining that economic and social progress stems from a healthy environment. In September 2002 the World Summit for Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg. The Johannesburg Earth Summit 2002 brought together tens of thousands of participants, including heads of State and Government, national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGOs), businesses and other major groups. While the Rio 1992 Earth Summit

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focused on environmental management, the Johannesburg Summit focused on a broad set of issues, including poverty reduction and social development. The focus of sustainable development internationally has moved to social problems and processes (United Nations 2002), including heritage.

4.1 Sustainable development as a tool for heritage conservation “Cultural and natural heritage sites around the world can only be protected if the continued degradation of the global environment is reversed, while improving the lives of those living in poverty.”

Francesco Bandarin, Director, World Heritage Centre 2002 Heritage and sustainable development are intimately linked. The goals of sustainable development are continually assisting heritage conservation internationally. Sustainable development is raising awareness about heritage conservation in maintaining our cultural identities, especially amongst indigenous nations. Heritage is constantly under threat by global environmental issues, political issues, and development. UNESCO (2002a) has formally declared 33 of the 730 World Heritage listed sites, World Heritage in Danger. While other sites face ascertained or potential threats to their long-term integrity and survival. These sites and others are vulnerable to the impacts of “urban development, exponential increases in tourism, deterioration, negative impacts of infrastructure construction, improper use, pollution and the long-term side-effects of climate change and, occasionally wanton destruction” (UNESCO 2002a). UNESCO (2002a) have also recognized a need to organize resources to strengthen and expand existing levels of technical and administrative expertise and financial assistance to safeguard the proper management of cultural and heritage sites. Heritage management is related to the wider management of resources. Decision makers are informed by understanding the development of the environment through time (Historic Scotland 2001). Capacity building is key to both heritage management and sustainability. Agenda 21 promotes the use of partnerships when approaching these situations, particularly amongst the local community, who have the ability to manage their specific environments. Education is an essential component of heritage management and sustainable development. Education is not only essential in the training and development of experts in the heritage field, but also in generating awareness and action leading to change amongst stakeholders and the wider community. It is the key to valuing heritage and minimizing impacts.

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4.2 Heritage conservation as a tool for sustainable development

“A sustainable society should seek to value and protect diversity and local distinctiveness and strengthen local community and cultural identity. The historic environment is a key component in achieving this aim.” (DETR 1998)

In 2002 the Johannesburg World Summit coincided with the 30th Anniversary of the Convention Concerning the Protections of World Cultural and Natural Heritage, and the United Nations Year of Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2002a). This concurrence of events has brought unprecedented opportunity to generate change for both heritage and sustainability. Heritage conservation is contributing strongly to the goals of sustainable development. Heritage conservation is enabling society to recognize today, and to pass on to future generations, cultural values expressed through heritage items. Typically, sustainable development is associated with the protection of natural environment, not built heritage. However, the principles of sustainability have, in practice, always been central to heritage conservation and management. Managing heritage assets to ensure they can be enjoyed by all, including future generations, means putting sustainability into practice. The principles of sustainable development are of value to cultural heritage when it is considered that (Historic Scotland 2001):

“We are merely the custodians of the cultural heritage and must hand it on to future generations;

The cultural heritage manifests human genius and human history, with their positive and sometimes less positive sides. To preserve it in all its diversity is to show respect for human beings and human creativity and evidence a desire to build a better future while acknowledging the past;

As with the natural heritage, the cultural heritage specialist has to ensure continuity between past, present and future. The cultural heritage is not renewable: although valuable new works can be added to it, it cannot be reconstituted once it has been destroyed for it would no longer be the same heritage.”

Heritage forms the backdrop of our identity, and seeks to understand and appreciate the influence of the past on our current and future environments. Heritage reflects our ongoing relationships with the environment and owes its present value and significance to people’s perceptions and opinions, meaning their personal beliefs and values (English Heritage 1997). Sustainability concerns people and change. Heritage is not about dwelling on the past, it is about understanding today and the future. Heritage management is an ongoing and dynamic process, balancing conservation and change.

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It is easy to understand that we protect our physical environmental resources so we and our children can survive. Yet the reasons for keeping our cultural heritage are less immediately apparent. As individuals we keep sight of the past for personal reasons, it provides us with a sense of belonging, it defines our identity, and provides a depth of character to our environment. “The historic environment in particular, because it reminds us of our origins and it essentially traditional in its appeal, plays a particularly significant part in our view of quality of life” (English Heritage 1997). At ‘Africa Heritage and Sustainable Development’, a side event of the Johannesburg World Summit, participants agreed that the management of heritage was an important tool for the promotion of sustainable development and poverty alleviation (UNESCO 2002a). During the event it was determined that new directions in heritage management focused on economic development, human rights, poverty alleviation, sustainability and education. It was felt that identity and restoration of pride lead to better management of heritage, and that traditional management systems had to be recognized. In Australia the debate surrounding heritage and sustainable development has been limited. This has perhaps stemmed from the Federal Government’s restricted definition of Ecologically Sustainable Development, which discounts the importance of the social and cultural environment in development and change. This in turn has diminished the concern for important social issues in society, including poverty, culture and heritage. Yet, the social environment is important in considering political and cultural influences of decision making, which impact upon all aspect of sustainability. UNESCO (cited by Mortesen in Wheeler and Perace-Bijur 2000) advocates the importance of culture in sustainable development by stating:

"Sustainable Development is widely understood to involve the natural sciences and economics, but it is even more fundamentally concerned with culture: with the values people hold and how they perceive their relationships with others. It responds to an imperative need to imagine a new basis for relationship amongst peoples and with the habitats that sustain human life."

4.3 Shifts in thinking about sustainable development & heritage Concerns for the environment and the impact of development are not new (Annexure B). The environmental movement and post World War II international development community have developed thinking on the challenges of creating a healthy society, economy and environment. There has been a move from thinking about problems at the end to thinking about problems at their source. Society is developing a realistic understanding of how these issues can be addressed.

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Over the past century thought on sustainable development and international environmental and development issues has moved from a scientific frame of thinking, to a much more socially entrenched form of thinking. The original proposal was: how can we solve this problem using science? Now we are asking, why do we have this problem? We now understand that environmental problems cannot be solved until we address the social problems that compound them. The same thinking has been replicated in heritage conservation. Heritage conservation has moved from asking: how can we make sure this item is not destroyed? To: what do we value about this item and how can we best conserve cultural values? It is now understood that meaning and knowledge are “socially constructed by human beings in interaction with one another and with the cultural understandings Into which they become socialised” (Janse van Rensburg 2000:12). Janse van Rensburg (2000:13) has further examined the assumptions under which thinking for sustainable development is often approached:

“Our understandings of the world come not from objective reality but from other people, both past and present;

Our modes of description, explanation and representation are derived from relationships;

As we describe, explain or otherwise represent, so we fashion our future; Reflection of our forms of understanding are critical to our future well being.”

From their brief description it is possible to see the important role that heritage has to play in understanding our relationships, our culture and our past and in fashioning our future. Written histories alone cannot achieve this aim. Written histories are entrenched with political bias and issues of power often associated with the highly educated and upper classes. Understanding heritage items enables us to understand our culture, relationships and decision making processes. We must be conscious of not only how we have understood our culture and history in the past, but also how we propose to continue to think about our culture and history in the future. From here, however, a further question is raised. What underlies current heritage protection processes? It is a fact that a large percentage of the NSW State Heritage Register consists of colonial buildings significant to peoples of British and European descent. The State Heritage Register is underrepresented in multicultural and Aboriginal Heritage, and in landscapes, movable heritage. Further to this question are issues surrounding the appropriateness of a heritage list and the ways in which specific cultural groups appreciate and recognise their own heritage. Furthermore, we must seek to understand how political and power relationships have enabled some aspects of heritage to be protected, while others have remained unprotected. Aboriginal relationships with their environment have consistently shown strong interconnectedness between their environment and culture. The cultural practices of Aboriginals are inherit to their lifestyle which is built around a strong understanding of the environment and its ability to sustain itself. Post contact non-Aboriginal practices have not had the same relationship

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with the environment and as a result introduced practices now known to be responsible for its destruction – practices that we are trying both to understand and reverse. Conservation today is concerned not only with physical change but with creating new relationships amongst those existing. The quality and success of these relationships is critical to conservation and sustainability. It is through these shifts in thinking, not only about heritage, but also about sustainable development, that we are able to understand the close relationships between these two paradigms. By changed our thinking we are able to not only care about the sustainability of the natural environment, but also care about the cultural environment.

5.0 Current Heritage Office initiatives contributing to sustainable development

The Heritage Council of NSW and the Heritage Office are currently working towards the goals of sustainable development in their strategic directions and operations. In recent years, for example, the Heritage Council has worked towards decentralising much of the decision making processes to local government. This shift of power enables the people that are being impacted by the decisions (i.e. local governments and their community) to make the decisions. The Heritage Office is currently undertaking strategic planning on a number of issues that affect sustainability.

5.1 Cultural Landscapes The Heritage Office believes that there is increasing recognition within the general community that the special cultural landscapes that surround our cities and towns are highly valued resources which provide a range of experiences and add to our quality of life. Understanding our cultural landscapes paints a picture of our past. Heritage is no longer confined to buildings, or a dot on a map. Heritage is not understood unless it is understood within its setting. The recently listed Opera House, for example, was designed and placed in the centre of Sydney Harbour because of Sydneysiders strong cultural relationships with their harbour. The context of the harbour setting is important to understanding the heritage significance of the Opera House. The practices which have shaped our values stem from us adapting to the landscape as a society. The concept of landscape has provided a context from which to discuss national identity. In understanding our landscape as different from others, we can depict distinctive elements that contribute to our unique culture. It is “our sunburnt country, with lands of sweeping plains” that we wholly identify as being Australian. Not only is it through poetry that the Australian cultural landscapes have been identified, but through paintings, music, history, and conservation movements, to name but a few.

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The Heritage Office recognises that the issue of achieving a sustainable future is not restricted to natural resources but extends to the conservation and enhancement of cultural values, which can be made tangible through heritage, including cultural landscapes. Our sense of place, and cultural association with place, is significant to not only our understanding of self, but also to our understanding of social and political structures, and to our ability to change. Cultural landscapes include such places as the scenic valleys of the South Coast, the ornamental plantings of the Southern Highlands, the remnant farm estates of the colonial landscapes of Western Sydney and the Blue Mountains. The beauty and experience of these places are critical to the lifestyle of the people of NSW. Similarly, the contribution of the distinctive vineyards, alluvial flats and the rugged grazing lands of the Hunter are well recognised by the people of Newcastle and the Region. Minister for Planning and Infrastructure, Hon Craig Knowles identified the depletion of cultural landscapes as an important issue threatening the cultural values and lifestyle of our cities. He requested that the Heritage Office report on this issue. To assist in this task the Heritage Office held a one-day think tank or charette to debate the issues, identify constraints and opportunities and to make recommendations on the preferred options to achieving this objective. Further information about this charette is available at www.heritage.nsw.gov.au The charette included over 50 professionals from local, state and Federal Government, as well as expert consultants, and community representatives. Stemming from the charette, the Heritage Office is developing a report with actions for change to improve the recognition and protection of important landscapes. This report identifies the key concerns across NSW regarding the protection of cultural landscapes. The proposed actions include better state-wide and local planning, and education to raise awareness of the importance of cultural landscapes. The Heritage Council at its November 2003 meeting also requested that the Heritage Office develop a policy on cultural landscapes and heritage. Concurrent to the protection of the cultural landscapes, the Heritage Office is developing a policy on wind farms and heritage. The construction of a wind farm will change the landscape in which it sits. If this landscape is of heritage value, it can be said that the wind farm might affect the values of that heritage landscape. The proposed policy aims to minimise or eliminate the potential impacts of wind farms on heritage items by acting as a tool to assist the Heritage Office, local government, planners and developers in their decision-making processes. This issue has also been raised at a national level. In response Federal Minister for the Environment and Heritage, Dr David Kemp has funded the Council of the National Trusts and the Australian Wind Energy Association in developing a national policy for wind farms and heritage.

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6.0 Planned Heritage Office initiatives contributing to sustainable development - policy & strategy on heritage and sustainable development

This document represents the first step by the Heritage Office towards the development of a policy and strategy on heritage and sustainability. This process aims at not only engaging Heritage Office stakeholders in this important issue, but also at educating stakeholders on the relationship between heritage and sustainability. The process involves three primary stages:

Project Stage Results

1. Statement / discussion paper

The statement will initiate discussion in the professional heritage community about the interrelationship of sustainable development and heritage conservation

2. Policy The policy will reflect the statutory obligations of the Heritage Council and reflect stakeholder needs and expectations

3. Strategy The strategy will provide a set of steps to be taken by the Heritage Council and Heritage Office in achieving the integration of heritage conservation with sustainable development

7.0 Potential Heritage Office initiatives contributing to sustainable development

There are many opportunities for the Heritage Council of NSW and the Heritage Office to further contribute to sustainable development. Greater involvement in state of the environment reporting, contributing to the World Summit for Sustainable Development Strategy for Change, improving consistency in data collection and analysis of heritage items, and improving corporate social and environmental responsibilities are just a few examples. Others are discussed in greater detail in sections 10.1 and 10.2.

7.1 State of Our Heritage Report The Heritage Council of NSW has proposed that the Heritage Office in partnership with other states and territories undertake a State of Our Heritage Report. Similar to the State of the Environment Reporting, the Heritage Office would assess the condition of State Heritage Register items to ensure they are being maintained and used appropriately. Such a report would result in greater transparency and accountability by the Heritage Office in their performance and management of heritage assets for the State. Furthermore, it would result in a greater understanding of the current state of heritage and its ongoing uses.

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This would contribute to sustainable development by increasing our understanding of past and proposing ongoing uses of our heritage. Furthermore, it would create greater transparency and accountability in the Heritage Office’s management of the heritage resource. In addition the heritage Office in partnership with the other states and territories also proposes to undertake a survey on attitudes to heritage, to evaluate what people value, how they value it and how the community sees the role heritage plays in shaping our physical and social environment.

7.2 Environmentally sustainable adaptive reuse Adaptive re-use of heritage assets is the mechanism for finding new uses for old buildings and is encouraged by the Heritage Council of NSW. However, at present the Heritage Council does not require that the recycling of buildings be environmentally sound. Nor has the recycling of buildings been given the same priority as in other counties, where the impact of construction waste and energy consumption resulting from reconstruction been identified as a major issue. The proposed policy provides the Heritage Council with an opportunity for heritage recycling to contribute to environmentally sustainable development. The reuse of heritage assets lessens the need for the resources and energy required to build new structures, and also by retaining them in existing structure. In addition, environmental innovations in engineering and architecture add enhancements to these buildings giving them greater flexibility for other uses. Further research is required to fully understand the opportunities in sympathetically applying principles of sustainability in heritage buildings.

8.0 Ideas for a state wide action plan for heritage and sustainability

8.1 Engaging Key Stakeholders The Heritage Office has identified and will invite key stakeholders to participate in this process of change. Initial scoping of stakeholders include: State Government Agencies ▫ Department of Planning Infrastructure and

Natural Resources; ▫ Department of the Environment and

Conservation; ▫ Department of Aboriginal Affairs; ▫ Department of Commerce; ▫ Department of Local Government; ▫ Department of State and Regional

Development ▫ Department of Mineral Resources; ▫ Historic Houses Trust of NSW; ▫ Ministry of Energy and Utilities; ▫ Ministry of Transport ▫ NSW Agriculture; ▫ NSW Ministry of the Arts;

Industry Associations ▫ Australian Business Council for Sustainable

Energy; ▫ Australian Water Association ▫ Clean Air Society of Australia & New

Zealand (CASA ▫ Environment Business Australia ▫ Waste Management Association of

Australia ▫ Property Council Australia ▫ Australian Property Institute ▫ Royal Australian Institute of Architects ▫ Landcom ▫ National Trust (NSW) ▫ Total Environment Centre ▫ Greenpeace

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▫ NSW Ombudsman; ▫ NSW Treasury; ▫ Roads and Traffic Authority ▫ Sustainable Energy Development Authority; ▫ Sydney Catchment Authority; ▫ Sydney Harbour Foreshore Authority; ▫ Sydney Opera House ▫ Sydney Water Corporation; ▫ Tourism New South Wales; ▫ Waterways Authority

▫ Australian Conservation Foundation ▫ University of Sydney ▫ Macquarie University ▫ University of NSW ▫ University of Technology ▫ Australia ICOMOS ▫ Australian Council of National Trusts

Local Governments Local Government and Shires Association All local governments across NSW will be invited to participate in this process.

Commonwealth and other State/Territory Agencies Australian Heritage Commission Environment Australia Heritage Victoria Heritage SA Heritage Unit Dept of Urban Affairs, ACT Heritage Conservation Services NT EPA QLD Tasmanian Heritage Office Heritage Council of WA NZ Historic Places Trust

8.2 Opportunities for Collaborative Partnerships The development of strategies will rely on the development of collaborative partnerships to address key issues raised. The various state and Territory heritage agencies have already indicated their support for collaborative initiatives and policy development in relation to this subject. Other key industry stakeholders too have indicated their support. 8.3 Issues for consideration The Heritage Office has already identified a number of issues that need to be addressed in relation to this issue including: • Statewide market research survey on the Valuing our heritage – • State wide audit on the condition of heritage items • Study on Energy Efficiency in Heritage Buildings • Guidelines on Energy Efficiency in Heritage Buildings • Model Urban Release Program • Guideline on Cultural Landscapes • Wind farms and cultural landscapes • Heritage Tourism and sustainability

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This initial list has been developed in response to recent issues arising, and the preliminary work carried out by the Heritage Office. These priorities may expand and change as a result of this process.

9.0 Conclusion Heritage and sustainable development are intimately and integrally linked. Understanding our heritage enables us to better understand our cultural and social systems, and provides a foundation from which to deserve to our social values. Heritage is important in understanding ourself, our culture and our community. Our past is a guide to making decisions for a sustainable future. Sustainability is also an important tool for the conservation of important heritage assets. Through sustainability we attempt to redress power structures. Through this we can give voice to those that have not been recognised, or who have not had the opportunity to contribute to history. The proposed process to develop the Heritage Council policy and strategy on heritage and sustainability encourages participation and partnerships from the outset. The process involves three primary stages: discussion paper, policy development, strategy development. The Heritage Office is currently involved in several strategic projects that contribute to sustainable development, including cultural landscapes, wind turbines and heritage, and managing change. Other potential projects could also enable future contributions to sustainable development, including environmentally sustainable adaptive re-use of heritage assets and state of our heritage reporting. The development of a policy and strategy for heritage and sustainable development will enable the Heritage Council, the Heritage Office and its stakeholders to work towards these and other goals for sustainable development. This paper was written by Victoria Coleman at the NSW Heritage Office

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References Commonwealth of Australia (1992) National Strategy for Ecologically Sustainable Development, Australian Government Publishing Services; Canberra

English Heritage (1997) “Sustaining the historic environment: new perspectives on the future: An English Heritage discussion document”, London

Historic Scotland (2001) Passed to the Future: Historic Scotland’s Policy for the Sustainable Management of the Historic Environment; Scotland

Janse van Rensburg (2000) “Learning for Sustainability project: An overview of the conceptual framework, in Janse van Rensburg and Lotz Sisitka (Eds) Learning for Sustainability: An environmental education professional development case study informing education policy and practice. Learning for Sustainability Project, Johannesburg

United Nations (2002) Johannesburg Earth Summit 2002: Key outcomes of the Summit, located at: www.johannesburg summit.org

United National Convention of Environment and Diversity (1992) Agenda 21: programme of action for sustainable development 3-14 June 1992, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

United National Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (2002a) World Heritage Located at: http://whc.unesco.org/nwhc/pages/home/pages/homepage.htm

Wheeler K & Perrace Bijur A (eds) (2000) Education for a Sustainable Future - A Paradigm of Hope for the 21st Century, Kluver Academic, New York

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Annexure A A Brief History of Heritage During the 1930s in Athens two charters were developed to protect and preserve monuments (i.e. built structures generally): the Athens Charter in 1932, and the Town Planning Charter in 1933. These charters focused both on the micro of heritage conservation (i.e individual structures) and on the macro (i.e planning precincts for conservation or development). In 1954 at the Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (sponsored by UNESCO), it was recommended that signatories develop a list of cultural property that should gain priority protection in the event of conflict. This proactive list of cultural assets has since developed into the World Heritage List. In 1949 the National Trust of Australia (NSW) began identifying places for listing. The non-statutory register, based on the English National Trust’s listing process was published in 1967 with 330 buildings. Despite community listing of places there was still no legal framework for the protection of heritage. In 1945 amendments to the Local Government Act required town planning to include “the preservation of places and objects of historical or scientific interest or natural beauty or advantage”, but did not recommend the listing of these places. Further amendments to the Act introduced the County of Cumberland Planning Scheme. The first Cumberland Country Register of Historic Buildings was published in the early 1960s with 37 identified places. The list included simply the names and addresses of the places, without any information as to why they had been identified. The Venice Charter of 1964 focused on the protection and preservation of historic buildings. It was ratified by 25 countries in 1965. The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) was founded in the same year, under the umbrella of UNESCO. Interestingly, it was not until 1980 that historic buildings were seen as part of a larger setting. As a result there is an increasing need to keep heritage assets surrounded by their landscapes and settings. Heritage buildings were also conserved, meaning they were able to change and adapt to new uses, rather than being strictly preserved in their original state. Heritage conservation has become multidisciplinary and involves the expertise of architects, historians, archaeologists, landscape and interior specialists, social scientist amongst many others. Heritage listing is a practice adopted by governments internationally. Central or regional government agencies have been formed to identify, list and protect heritage places. In 1979 Australian ICOMOS reviewed and adapted the Venice Charter to make it more relevant to Australia’s heritage values and practices. The document Australia ICOMOS Charter for the Conservation of Places of Cultural Significance is best known as the Burra Charter, after Burra Burra in South Australia, where it was developed. While the Burra Charter has been revised

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several times in line with the evolution of heritage conservation philosophy and practice, the fundamental ideas can be seen in seven main precepts:

1. the place itself is important; 2. understand the significance of the place; 3. understand the fabric; 4. significance should guide decisions; 5. do as much as necessary, as little as possible; 6. keep records; and 7. do everything in a logical order.

In Australian heritage protection is a shared responsibility of the local, State, Commonwealth and Territory governments. In 1976, the Commonwealth Government established the Australian Heritage Commission, and the Register of the National Estate. Around this time the first states established their own agencies: Victoria (1974), New South Wales (1977) and South Australia (1978). The listing process for the National Trust was revised to a single system in 1980, following the development of the Register of the National Estate. Since this time other non-government organisations have also developed lists, including: Royal Australian Institute of Architects, the Institute of Engineers Australia, and the Professional Historians Association. The introduction of interim development orders (IDOs) was another amendment to the Act. These order protected areas from development between the proposal of a planning scheme and gazettal by the Minister. Among these, an amendment made to an IDO in 1979 included the attachment of a Historic Building List. However once again this included only addresses and no assessment of significance. These local IDOs were a precursor to the Local Environmental Plan Heritage Schedules used today. The NSW Heritage Act was passed by state parliament in 1977. Though this was it was landmark legislation, the Heritage Council identified items for permanent or interim conservation orders (PCOs and ICOs) to be made by the Minister for Planning in 1979. The Act established a reactive system, in which a site was usually identified only if it was perceived to be under threat. The ‘buildings, relics or places’ were only listed after receiving a PCO or ICO. In 1987 on amendment to the Heritage Act required State agencies to create their own register of heritage items. The NSW Environmental Planning and Assessment Act was passed in 1979. This provided for local councils to make local environment plans. In 1985 a ministerial direction established provisions for the conservation of ‘buildings, works and relics’ to be listed in schedules of heritage items attached to LEPs. The 1999 amendments to the Heritage Act established the State Heritage Register. This register lists items of significance to the people of NSW. The State Heritage Register encompassed all items previously listed as PCOs as well as the bulk listing of State significant item in state agency registers. The State Heritage Register confirmed a major shift from listing as a reactive response to a threat to listing on the basis of heritage significance.

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The State Heritage Register is not yet comprehensive. Far more buildings are listed than landscapes, indigenous, natural, maritime or movable items. Furthermore, the geographical spread of items is biased towards the greater Sydney metropolitan area. The Heritage Office is now seeking to address these issues by systematically listing state significant heritage in each region, using historic themes as a guide. The Central West region is the first area in which this consultative, thematic approach to listing is being piloted. These recent developments reflect a nation wide shift from architectural significance to historical and other criteria. Increasingly places are also considered for listing because of their social value to the community. Knuckey’s Store, for example, is a simple and typical country store in Wellington. It was listed on the State Heritage Register as a place in which Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people interacted during the great depression and are therefore important to our understanding of this historical period. Through examples such as this, we are able how our nation has cultural has developed. Through examples such as this, we are able to understand how our nation has evolved, and how our present values as a community are in part shaped by past events.

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Annexure B The Origins Of Sustainable Development Adapted from IISD 1997 located at www.iisd.org/rio+5/timeline/sdtimeline accessed 29/09/03. The publication of Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring in 1962 was the first major wake up call reminding the world of the intimate link between the environment and development impacts. A year later the International Biological Programme began to analyse environmental damage internationally. This study provided the scientific framework for environmentalism. In 1967 the Environmental Defenders Fund began legal action against organisations that willingly polluted the environment. However, it was only in 1968 that Paul Ehrlich extended these issues to consider why development was necessary and explored the concept of the overpopulation in the Population Bomb. The Club of Rome, a group of scientists and economists, was set up to map out the dynamic processes governing the interaction between the environment and development. Greenpeace was then established in 1971 as an activist organisation for global environmental protection. Over-consumption was realised and the United Nations scheduled the Human Environment Conference for 1972. In response the non-government organisation ‘Friends of the Earth’ was established, dedicating itself to the protection of the environment and the empowerment of our society. In 1971 the Foneaux Report called for the integration of environment and development strategies. While it acknowledged over-consumption, it also recognised the issues of poverty and underdevelopment as contributing to the degradation of the environment. This acknowledgement persuaded many developing countries to attend the United Nations Human Environment Conference, the first conference of its type to be concerned with the environment. It was at this conference that the term sustainable development was first used – a term that presents a solution to environment versus development dichotomy. The conference resulted in the establishment of many government and non-government agencies and the United Nations Environment Programme. At this time the Club of Rome published Limits to Growth, a controversial paper which outlined the consequences of a ‘do nothing’ approach. Over the next decade action was taken on many issues, including energy, deforestation, endangered species, air pollution and poverty. Increasingly, attention was given to the environmental catastrophes in the media, including the Amaco Cadiz oil spill and the Three Mile nuclear reactor leak. In 1980 the World Conservation Union (IUCN) released the World Conservation Strategy, which identified a need to redress inequities and achieve a more sustainable living. In 1983 the World Commission on Environment and Development was formed, and given three years to complete a report on social, cultural, economic and environmental issues. Our Common Future (Bruntland Report) was published in 1987. Already in 1986 at the IUCN Conference on the Environment in Ottowa, sustainable development was identified as an emerging issue of international concern.

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The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development was held in Brazil in 1992. It resulted in Agenda 21 and the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Framework Convention on Biological Diversity, the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Rio Declaration, which have lead to changes in community attitude and environmental understanding internationally. Following this event the case for sustainable development has become recognised as a mainstream issue. Agenda 21 has encouraged communities to consider their impacts upon the environment and to address key issues of sustainable development. In 2002 Johannesburg played host to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The focus has now shifted from the environmental issues, to social issues such as poverty. This focus reflects deeper thinking about sustainable development and recognises the crucial link between responsible local decisions and conservation of the environment.